Series: 2: ADA Administrative File, 1946-1965
Note: Specify series number when requesting boxes.

Physical Description: 96 boxes, 1 volume, and 40 reels of microfilm (35 mm) 
Scope and Content Note

The ADA administrative file is composed of materials the ADA office staff originally maintained as a loosely organized file for the various national directors. In addition, it includes closely related materials added to this series during processing by the staff of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. The ADA administrative file includes correspondence and subject files.

Carbon copies of the outgoing correspondence, May 1948-December 1963, is arranged in reverse chronological order within each folder just as the ADA staff filed them. The files for March-April 1952, and for the years 1956-1958, are lacking, while the folder for March 1953, is incomplete. In 1949 only carbons of the letters of James Loeb Jr., executive secretary, and his assistant, John F.P. Tucker, are included; but by the 1950's other staff members filed carbons of all or some of their correspondence, both important and routine. Some correspondence is filed within the subject files including outgoing telegrams (1947-1953).

Incoming correspondence, 1948-1956 is arranged alphbetically within the subject files, including miscellaneous correspondence filed under "Correspondence, miscellaneous".

The subject files are arranged alphbetically. The correspondence within the subject files is arranged chronologically by month and placed first in each folder. Miscellaneous printed and mimeographed materials follow the correspondence and may occasionally overlap the inclusive dates given for the correspondence.

The subject files include correspondence of various staff members and national officers such as: Francis Biddle, 1950-1951; Evelyn Dubrow, 1947-1949; Violet Gunther, 1950-1963; Leon Henderson, 1947-1952; Edward Hollander, 1947-1963; Hubert H. Humphrey, 1947-1963; Charles M. LaFollette, 1947-1949; Richard A. Lambert, 1960-1964; James Loeb Jr., 1947-1961; Robert R. Nathan, 1952-1963; Nathalie E. Panek, 1947; Sheldon Pollock, 1952-1962; Joseph L. Rauh, 1947-1963; John P. Roche, 1962-1963; Eleanor Roosevelt, 1948-1961; Marvin Rosenberg, 1951-1961; John F.P. Tucker, 1946-1952; David C. Williams, 1952; Page Wilson, 1958-1964; Wilson Wyatt, 1947-1959; and Reginald H. Zalles, 1951-1953. A staff organizational chart is located in an appendix to this finding aid.

The initial formation of ADA is represented by correspondence, minutes, reports, and memoranda of the 1947 ADA Organizing Committee. The correspondence and minutes of the National Board (1947-1964), and the Executive Committee (1947-1965) provide a fairly complete guide to the internal workings of the organization. The folders titled National Board, for example, include correspondence with board members regarding agenda for the meetings, attendance at the meetings, and reservations. The minutes include not only the first draft and final mimeographed copy of almost all the Board meetings, but a great deal of supporting material; such as, agenda, attendance lists, pre-meeting reminders, policy statements, and copies of mimeographed reports presented by various ADA officers and staff. These files are most complete for the years 1947, 1948, 1958, and 1960. The files of the National Board contain a duplicate set of only the minutes of the Board, filed separately after the originals.

The heavy emphasis placed upon the formation of new chapters is evidenced by the correspondence, minutes, reports, and memoranda (1947-1964), of the National Committee on Organization. This committee was responsible for organizing new chapters, handling problems relating to the membership, and guiding chapter programs. Much of this responsibility was handled by the various directors of the organization, such as Evelyn Dubrow, Sheldon Pollock, and Richard A. Lambert.

Between 1947 and 1954, the ADA hired a number of chapter organizers to work in various parts of the country. The following is a list of those organizers who are represented in this series, together with the areas in which they worked, and the years.

Adler, Bernard (Box 24)	Ohio	1950-1951
Anderson, Douglas B. (Box 25)	Chicago Organizing Comm.	1947-1948
Cronheim, Emily (Box 32)	Missouri	1951-1952
Girvetz, Harry (Box 52)	California	1949
Holzinger, Charles (Box 53)	Illinois, Indiana, Michigan	1949
Hopkins, Alden (Boxes 53, 77-79)	Southern Representative	1949-1950
Leavy, Leonard L. (Box 57)	New Jersey	1952-1953
Leuchtenburg, William E. (Box 57)	Missouri, Nevada, Colorado	1948
McSweeney, Margaret (Box 59)	New England	1948
Mishnun, Eleanor (Box 63)	New England	1947-1948
Panek, Natalie E. (Box 72)	Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and New England	1947
Payne, Ancil (Box 72)	Oregon and Washington (State)	1947-1948
Pollock, Sheldon (Box 74)	New Jersey and New York	1952-1954
Stern, Louis H. (Box 81)	California	1950
Taylor, Barney B. (Boxes 82, 77-79)	Southern Representative	1947-1948

Most of these organizers are represented by only one folder of correspondence and field reports; exceptions are Alden Hopkins and Barney B. Taylor, who served at different periods as ADA's southern representative, 1946-1950. Their records have been incorporated into this series and include correspondence, membership lists, weekly reports on the status and organization of new chapters, and reports of the various chapters in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.

The financial records of ADA from 1947 to 1965 are also included in the administrative files. The financial correspondence and the lists of contributors deal primarily with contributions. There is a complete set of auditor's reports, 1947-1957, and an incomplete set of budget proposals and reports, 1948, 1952-1960. The weekly financial reports and comparative balance sheets provide a good view of ADA's tenuous financial standing. There are also two ledgers (1946-1951), and a journal of chapter income (1948-1949). The files relating to the Corrupt Practices Act, 1947-1958, contain reports to the federal government on all yearly receipts of more than one hundred dollars and all expenditures of more than ten dollars. The chapter quota file contains general correspondence (1950-1957), and files, arranged alphabetically by state and city, for numerous major chapters. These files also relate to the transferral of chapter quota fees and often include lists of chapter members.

ADA has always had a great deal of difficulty in financing its various programs. In its early years many of the larger unions, such as the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, the International Association of Machinists, the American Federation of Labor (AFL), the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, the Congress of Industrial Organizations, the Textile Workers Union of America (TWUA), and the United Automobile Workers Union (UAWU), helped support the work of the organization. Promotional mailings, pamphlets, and various types of social events have been utilized to raise additional funds. Files relating to labor unions and these attempts to raise additional funds are located in this series, usually under the union.

Other large segments of material in the administrative file include the correspondence and minutes of the Businessmen's Council of ADA (1954-1961), and the Trips Abroad files (1949-1965), concerning yearly foreign study trips organized and conducted by ADA.

Outgoing correspondence

1948 May-1949 April

1949 May-September

1949 October-November

1949 December-1950 April

1950 May

1950 June-October

1950 November-1951 March

1951 April-May

1951 June-December

1952 January

1951 February, May-August

1952 September-1953 March

1953 April

1953 May-September

1953 October-November

1953 December-1954 March

1954 April-August

1954 September

1954 October-December

1955 January-May

1955 June-October

1955 November-December

1959 January-March

1959 April-July

1959 August-December

1960 January-February

1960 March-September

1960 October-1961 May

1961 June-1962 January

1962 February-September

1962 October-1963 February

1963 March-May

1963 June-December

Subject Files

"A", 1948 January-1952 August

Adler, Bernard 1950 December-1951 September

Administrative Memoranda and Program Actions, bulletin 1961-1962

Ahrend Associates, 1964 March-April

American Civil Liberties Union, 1946 February-1955 March

American Federation of Labor, 1948 February-October

American Veterans Committee, 1947 November-1949 August

Americans for Democratic Action -- its origin, aims, and character and its designs upon the Democratic Party, editions of 1955 and 1958

ADA employees contracts, 1947

Anderson, Douglas B. 1947 January-1948 December

Arts Division of ADA, 1948 March-1952 December

Attlee, Clement, cable replies 1947 June-July

"B", 1948 July-1956 December

Bean, Louis H., pamphlet, "The Mid-Term Battle" 1949 May-1950 November

Biddle, Francis

Chicago trip, 1950 May

Midwest trip, 1950 May

Rochester trip, 1950 June-1951 March

Western trip, 1950 November-1951 March

Biemiller, Andrew J. 1947 January-1948 October

Biographies, ADA officers and staff

Bondfield, Margaret, United States tour 1948 November-December

Bowles, Chester 1948 March-1949 December

Brock, Clifton 1963 May

Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, 1948 January-1949 August

Buchanan Lobby Committee, testimony and material removed from ADA files as evidence

1947-1950

1947-1950 (continued)

Businessmen's Council of ADA

1954 July-1957 January

1957 January-1961 December

"C", 1948 March-1957 January

California, Southern Regional Conference 1946 September-1947 March
Note: See also: Girvetz, Harry.

Candidate Support Committee, 1962 June-1964 January

Chapter constitution forms

Chapter mailings, 1947 January-1947 July

Chapter mailings, 1947 August-1949 May

Chapter statistics

Charters for new chapters, 1947 January-June

Civil Rights

1948 January-1949 December

1950 January-1960 February

Committee on Economic Stability, report 1947 May-July

Congress of Industrial Organizations, 1946 January-1949 November

Congress of Racial Equality, 1961 April-May

Congressional, 1948 January-1951 August

Constitution, by-laws, and revisions of ADA 1947-1958

Consultative Conference on Desegregation, 1958 February-August

Contacts

New England, 1947 January-March

New York, 1947 January-April

Northwest, 1947 January-March

Southwest, 1947 January-March

Correspondence, foreign 1946 September-1952 April

Correspondence, miscellaneous

1947-1951

1952-1964

Council of Economic Advisers, 1946 February-1947 January

Crank letters, 1947 September-1964 September

Cronheim, Emily 1951 May-1952 December

Czechoslovakia, 1948 December-1950 June

"D"

1947 December-1953 December

1954 January-1958 December

Davies, Dr. A. Powell 1948 January-June

Douglas, Paul H. 1948 March-1949 September

Douglas, William O. 1948 March-September

Dubrow, Evelyn

1947 September-1948 January

1948 February-1948 May

1948 June-1949 February

"E", 1948 February-1956 August

Edwards, George 1948 March-1949 September

Eisenhower, Dwight D. 1948 February-June

Evaluation Committee of ADA, 1955 October-November

Executive Committee

1947 January-1949 November

Minutes

1947-1948

1949-1955

1956-1957

1958-1965

Xerox copies, 1947-1962

"F", 1948 January-1956 December

Fairbanks, John K. 1951 September-November

Far East, 1949 April-December

Farm Conference, Chicago (February 1949) 1949 January-April

Farm program, 1948 January-1950 January

Federal aid to education, 1950 February-1951 June

Figueres, Jose, luncheon (April 9, 1951) 1950 November-1951 May

Financial records

Auditor's reports, 1947-1957

Budget proposals and reports, 1948, 1952-1960

Chapter quotas

1950-1951

1952-1957

Comparative balance sheets, 1953-1956 November

Comparative balance sheets, 1956 December-1965

Contributions, correspondence regarding

1947 October-1950 March

1950 April-1955

1956-1957

Contributions, lists 1947-1964

Correspondence, miscellaneous

1947 January-1949 May

1949 June-1951 December; 1961 March-December

Corrupt Practices Act, reports 1947-1958

Quotas

Arizona, Tucson 1959

California, East Bay 1952-1957

California, Greater Los Angeles 1953-1957

California, Northern 1958-1961

California, Sacramento, San Francisco, and Santa Barbara 1953-1961

Colorado, Denver 1953-1957

Connecticut, Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven, New London, Stamford, Greenwich 1953-1956

District of Columbia, 1953-1961

Hawaii, Honolulu 1953

Illinois, Chicago 1953-1962

Indiana, 1954-1961

Iowa, Des Moines, Iowa City, and Johnson County 1953-1955

Kentucky, Louisville 1953-1958

Maryland, Baltimore 1953-1961

Maryland, Montgomery County 1953-1956

Massachusetts, chapter 1953-1956

Massachusetts, state 1957-1961

Michigan, chapters 1953-1961

Missouri, St. Louis 1953-1961

Nebraska, chapters 1953-1955

New Jersey, chapters

1952-1956

1957-1961

New York City, chapter 1953-1955

New York City, chapter 1956-1962

New York, chapters 1953-1958

Ohio, Akron 1953-1961

Ohio, Cincinnati, Columbus, and Youngstown 1953-1961

Ohio, Cleveland 1953-1961

Oregon, Portland 1952

Oklahoma, Oklahoma City 1953-1954

Pennsylvania, Erie 1953-1958

Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 1954-1961

Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh 1952-1961

Rhode Island, Providence 1953, 1958

Tennessee, chapters 1953-1954

Texas, chapters 1953-1961

Washington (State), Seattle and Spokane 1953-1954

France, Paris 1949-1953

Weekly financial reports

1947-1950

1951-1952

1953-1954

Ledger, 1950-1951

Ledger, 1946-1947

Journal of chapter income, 1948-1949

Foreign policy, 1947 March-1949 December

Foreign Policy Conference, 1953 October-1954 January

Foreign Policy Report, 1947 July-December

France, 1950 March-1953 October

Full Employment Conference, 1949 June-July

Fund raising, 1947 January-1963 June

Fund raising party, New York City (April 20, 1956) 1955 November-1956 August

"G", 1948 January-1956 December

Germany, 1947 November-1951 June
Note: Includes Willy Brandt correspondence.

Gerwitz, Stanley 1952 February-October

Ginsburg, David 1948 June-1949 August

Girvetz, Harry 1949 May-December
Note: See also: California Southern Regional Conference.

Greco-Turkish Aid bill, 1947 April

Gunther, Violet 1950 March-1963 March

"H", 1948 January-1956 December

Harris, Louis H. 1948 April-September

Hatch Act, 1947 September

Health, 1948 February-1951 January

Henderson, Leon 1947 April-1952 September

Hollander, Edward 1947 February-1963 December

Holzinger, Charles 1949 January-July

Hopkins, Alden 1949 April-1950 April

Hotel and Restaurant Worker's Union, 1947 June-1949 December

Housing bill, 1948 April

Humphrey, Hubert H.

1947 November-1963 September

West Coast trip, 1949 June-December

"I"

1948 February-1949 September

1949 October-1956 October

Independent Voters of Illinois, 1961 January-December

International Association of Machinists, 1947 April-1949 November

International Ladies Garment Workers Union, 1947 December-1949 November

Inter-Office memoranda, 1947 April-1964 October

"J", 1948 May-1956 November

Jeremias, Siegmund 1946 February-July

Job applications

1949 December-1951 March

1951 April-1958 February

"K", 1947 March-1956 December

Kerr Oil bill, 1950 February-April

"L"

1947 March-1951 October

1952 June-1956 December

Labor, 1947 October-1948 October

LaFollette, Charles M. 1947 March-1949 July

LaFollette, Charles M. 1949 August-1949 December

Lambert, Richard A.

1960-1961

1962-1964

Leavy, Leonard L. 1952 November-1953 February

Lee, Jennie, trip 1947 June-October

Lerner, Leo A. 1949 April-December; 1956 April; 1958 April

Leuchtenburg, William E. 1948 April-September

Lewis, Alfred Baker 1947 March-1963 August

Lists, 1947 January-1949 September; 1954

Loeb, James, Jr.

1947-1961 October

Radio Speeches, 1948 November-1949 May

Trips, 1946 December-1949 December

London Office, 1947 January-1949 December

Los Angeles Times, 1961 articles on ADA 1961 July-1962 January

Loyalty program, 1949 June-November

"M", 1947 December-1962 October

MacArthur, Douglas 1951 April-June

McGrath, J. Howard 1949 October-December

McSweeney, Margaret 1948 March-September

Mailings, promotional 1947 June-1964 September

Marshall Plan, ERP 1948 January-1949 November

Members-at-large, 1953 April-1964 December

Membership, 1960 May-1961 December

Membership promotion, 1947 June; 1952 April-1961 January

Membership statistics, 1947 June-1958

Metropolitan government, conference on 1958

Mid-West Conference, Chicago (March 1, 1947) 1947 February-April

Mimeographed material

1947 January-1948 May

1948 June-1952

1953-1959

1960-1965

Mishnun, Eleanor 1947 December-1948 December

Mobilization, war and national 1950 July-1951 May

"N", 1947 March-1956 November

Nathan, Robert R.

1952 May-1956 December

1957 January-1958 June

1958 July-1963 July

The Nation, 1945 July-1949 November

National Board

Correspondence re meetings, 1947 January-1962 February

Minutes

1947

1948-1952

1953-1959

1960-1964

Xerox copies, 1947-1958

Xerox copies, 1959-1963

Poll on Adlai Stevenson, 1952 July-August

Violet Gunther's correspondence, 1960 December-1964 June

National Committee Against Discrimination in Housing, 1961 September-October

National Committee for Peaceful Alternatives, 1951 May-June

National Committee on Organization, ADA

1947 January-September; 1956 May-1963 November

"Manual of Organization", undated

Minutes, 1947-1964

Reports and memoranda, 1956 August-1963 September

National Conference on International Economic and Social Development, 1952 February-April

National Sharecroppers Fund, 1948 January-1949 December

Nehru, Jawaharlal 1947 June; 1951 September-December; 1962 November

Neuberger, Richard L. 1954 August-1959 October

New Republic, 1947 January-1949 December

"O", 1948 August-1949 December

Office Employees International Union, 1952 February-1963 June

Organization Committees, Eastern and Western 1949 June-1950 February

Organization, Director of, memoranda, statements, reports, lists 1947 April-1948 August

Organizing Committee of ADA

1946 November-1947 April

Minutes, reports, and memoranda 1946 November-1947 March

"P", 1948 January-1956 November

Padnos, Michael 1961 December-1962 December

Palestine, 1946 July-1948 July

Panek, Nathalie E. 1947 January-November

Payne, Ancil H. 1947 April-1949 January

Peace movements, report 1962

Pegler, Westbrook 1949 November-December

Pending, 1953 May-1954 March

Personnel, 1947 January-1949 December

Political Action Programming, 1954 March-1956 October

Political Action Committee - C.I.O., 1948 March-1949 October

Political attacks on ADA, 1958 August-1962 March

Political Committee, ADA

1947 April-December

1948 January-April

Politics, 1948 May-1953 February

Pollock, Sheldon 1952 February-1962 January

Porter, Paul A. 1947 December-1949 May

Price control, 1947 December-1948 January

"Program Action," ADA, bulletin 1956-1959

Progressive Citizens of America, memorandum 1947

The Progressive, 1948 June-1956 July

Public relations, 1946 November-1947 May

Publications, ADA 1947 February-1951 May

Publications Review Committee, 1958 June-July

Public utilities - railroads, 1949 January-May

"R", 1948 January-1956

Radio reports re ADA, 1953-1964

Rauh, Joseph L.

1947 June-1963 February

Speeches, 1961-1963

Rent control, 1947 March

Republican National Convention, 1948 June

Roche, John P. 1962 May-1963 October

Roosevelt, Eleanor 1948 January-1961, may

Roosevelt, Franklin D., Jr. 1947 March-1949 August

Rosenberg, Marvin 1951 September-1961 October

Quemoy - Matsu petition, 1955 April-May

"S", 1947 November-1954 December

"S", 1955 January-1958 October

Smith, Lillian 1947 July-1949 November

Southern Conference Educational Fund, 1955 May-1957 January

Southern Representative

Correspondence, 1946 January-1950 February

Clippings

Form letters, 1947 May-1948 September

Fund raising

Lists

Membership lists

Memoranda, 1947 April-1950 January

North Carolina politics, 1947 October

Organization of chapters, 1947 April-1948 January

Weekly reports re organization of new chapters, 1947 May-December

Alabama, Birmingham, chapter 1947 May-December

Arkansas, Little Rock, chapter 1947 April-December

Georgia, Atlanta, chapter 1947 January-November

Florida, Miami, chapter 1949 August-1950 January

Louisiana, New Orleans, chapter 1947 May-November

North Carolina

Ashville, chapter 1949 June

Chapel Hill, chapter 1947 February-July; 1949 May

Charlotte, chapter 1949 February-December

Durham, chapter 1948 November-1950 February

Greensboro, chapter 1948 January-1950 February

Raleigh, chapter 1948 January-1950 February

Winston-Salem, chapter 1947 June

Tennessee

Chattanooga, chapter 1947 June-1950 January

Knoxville, chapter 1947 February-December

Memphis, Chapter

1947 January-1948 April

Membership list

Minutes, 1947 August-1948 March

Nashville, chapter 1947 July-1948 March

Virginia, Lynchburg, chapter 1949 June

Spain

1947 April-1950 January

1950 February-1952 March

Clippings

Speaker's Bureau, 1947 February-1948 August

Sprink County, South Dakota, Republican Central Committee 1958 September-1959 May

State Department, 1950 March-1961 September

Stern, Louis H. 1950 January-June

Statements on the importance of ADA, 1953 April-May

Straight, Michael, tour 1949 January-March

Students for Democratic Action

1946-1947

1948-1949

Sweetland, Monroe 1948 January-1959 December

"T", 1948 April-1960 November

Taft-Hartley Act, 1948 January-1951 December

Taxes, 1948 January-1953 October

Taylor, Barney B. 1947 April-1948 April

Taylor, William L. 1957 October-1959 November

Telegrams (sent), 1947-1953 January

Textile Workers Union of America, 1948 March-1957 December

Texas - political reports of George Lambert, 1954-1956

Thomson, Morgan - articles from Glasgow, Scotland, Forward 1951-1952

Tractors for Freedom Committee, 1961

Trips Abroad

ADA, 1949

SDA, reports 1949

ADA, 1950

SDA, reports 1950

ADA, 1951-1954 September

ADA, 1954 October-1959 December

ADA, 1960 January-1960 June

ADA, 1960 July-1961 May

ADA, 1961 June-1963 May

ADA, 1963 June-1964 April

ADA, 1964 May-1964 July

ADA, 1964 August-1965 December

ADA, clippings 1949-1951

Tucker, John F.P. 1946 November-1952 March

"U", 1947 December-1960 September

Union for Democratic Action Educational Fund, 1947 January-1959 May
Note: Also includes clippings.

Union operations in the Imperial Valley, California 1951 May

Unions, 1951 June-1960 April

United Automobile Workers, 1948-1960

United Nations, 1947-1955 August

United Rubber, Cork, Linoleum and Plastic Workers Union of America 1953 June-1960 March

United States possessions, 1947 September-1949 March

United States Student Assembly, 1945 May-1947 February

United World Federalists, 1949 April-1956 October

Universal military training, 1948 March-1951 December

Upholsterers International Union, 1947 March-1961 December

"V", 1947 October-1959 June

"Vital Issues," proposed pamphlet 1959 October-1960 February

"W", 1947-1960

Wallace, Henry A. 1947 May-1953 July

White House, 1949 June-1951 May

Whitney, General Courtney 1951 April-October

Williams, David C. 1952 August

Wilson, Page 1958 June; 1962 January-1964 October

Wyatt, Wilson 1947 January-1959 November

Writings, miscellaneous of ADA staff 1947-1964

"X-Y-Z", 1948 April-1959 December

Zagreb Peace Conference, 1951 June-October

Zalles, Reginald H. 1951 September-1953 June